Lewandowski is the best in Europe, claims Kehl

Borussia Dortmund captain Sebastian Kehl has expressed his belief that Robert Lewandowski is the best striker in Europe.

The Pole struck four times against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals in midweek as the German side sealed a 4-1 first-leg win at the Westfalenstadion. Lewandowski has struck 74 times in 132 games for Dortmund and has been heavily linked with a post-season move to Bayern Munich or Manchester United, with his contract expiring at the end of next season. And, despite his increasing potential value to the German club, midfielder Kehl is hoping to line up alongside the striker once again next term.

"For me, Lewandowski is the best striker in Europe. Scoring four goals in a semi-final against Real Madrid is a dream come true. It's incredible how easy he makes things look. Robert makes the difference," Kehl told Bild.

"I think that his performance against Madrid has significantly increased his market value. I hope that he will still play with BVB next term."

Dortmund will be without Mario Gotze next season, as the playmaker has agreed a move to Bayern Munich, and the 33-year-old is gutted not to be playing with the Germany starlet for much longer.

"I needed some time to deal with the news and I must admit that I was quite disappointed with it," Kehl revealed.

"However, that's the way things go in football. We also managed to sign Marco Reus last year because of a buy-out clause.

"There are not many players like Mario around, but I am confident that we will find an alternative. We have always done well in the transfer market in the past few years."